Summer 2015 Newsletter. Invisible Bugs?

 

           I hope that you have had the chance to benefit from the experiences of the wonderful network of operators, vendors, and researchers in our industry.  Likely, over dinner or drinks, your conversations have probably covered a lot of interesting ground.  Look around the restaurant next time you're engaged in lively table talk over the worst roach job you have ever seen, or the new-hires reaction to his first bed bug infested apartment complex, and ask yourself how many other similar conversations are going on in your average restaurant.  Many bystanders that are not in our industry don't seem to understand the excitement and awe that many of us feel when we hear about that one job with the guy who had roaches in his beard, or the town home with bed bugs on the kitchen counter, or the mice who caused rust holes in the heating ductwork with their urine, or... Well, you get the picture.  Pest control is a science and we are professional researchers, observing on a daily basis the ever changing adaptations of our target pests, however entertaining, and implementing corresponding adaptations of the practices and products we employ.  Professional pest control requires observation of, and manipulation of tangible things.  Mouse droppings, bird nests, termite damage, improperly sealed crawlspace access doors, negative drainage, etc.  We are good at seeing things that the untrained eye may not see.

            But what about the things you can't see?  Like wall voids or inaccessible attics you may ask?  No, I'm talking about things being described that "are" right in front of your face, blanketing the carpet, raining from the ceiling, maybe even emerging from your customer's skin.  A typical encounter like this begins with a telephone call to your office where a customer describes a small insect that is causing them some skin irritations.  Perhaps some of them sound like common enough parasites, bed bugs, fleas, or foul mites.  But just as you are narrowing down a diagnosis, they throw you a curve ball such as "I've been fighting them for 8 months and I have coated every surface of my home with Sevin dust", or "I can see them emerging from the peanut butter, some are small, and some are long like worms",  "they started by boring through the plaster in my ceilings, and now they are boring into my skin to lay eggs."  Sometimes the individual will tell you how other members of their family don't see the pests and may even call the affected individual "crazy".                                                    I could go on and on about the symptoms and circumstances surrounding these experiences, but we will have to save that for the next time we do dinner and drinks.

            What I described above is a condition called Delusory Parasitosis.  If you want to delve into a more scientific than anecdotal review of DP, I recommend a book called "The infested mind, Why humans fear, loathe, and love insects" by Jeffrey A. Lockwood.  Chapter 6, "The Terrible Trio: Imagining insects into our lives" addresses DP, group hysteria, and Illusory Parasitosis.  Illusory parasitosis being a related disorder, where people interpret real sensations, such as itches and skin redness, as pest infestations that indeed do not exist.  Delusory Parasitosis is a persistent belief, oftentimes with no evidence whatsoever that an infestation exists, and most likely is located on or in the body of the individual experiencing it. Confused enough? 

            The chapter addresses an interesting question.  If you have a customer suffering from Delusory Parasitosis, who is most qualified to treat this individual?  Their family practitioner?  Dermatologist?  Entomologist?  Pest Control operator?  Psychiatrist?  Good arguments could be made that any or all of these might play a part in this individuals treatment, but the reality is that we all wish that the other one would do it, and are most likely just interested in distancing ourselves from the individual.

            For our part though, let's cover some rules of engagement. 

1. Never make an application without a proper specimen identification.  Doing so sends the message that you do have the solution, you just haven't applied it in a correct manner or volume.  You will have a customer for life.

2. Do put out glue monitors.  Using detection tools even if you suspect that there are no pests present dignifies the individual on your first visit, and in some cases may find something that you didn't on your first inspection like springtails, clover mites, fleas, or carpet beetles.

3. If no pests are collected, be adamant about not making an unwarranted application.  Pesticide labels have target organisms specified on them, therefore you need to have a target in mind before you apply.  The label is the law.

4.  Sometimes recommendations about the humidity level of the air or inquiring about any changes in laundry detergents shows that you are concerned for their well-being, and who knows, sometimes may make a difference.

5. At the end of the encounter the demeanor of the individual may dictate how you part ways.  Some people will actually be receptive to the notion that what they are "experiencing" is not something that everyone else is experiencing.  You might be sure to point out that certain physical health problems or dietary deficiencies might be contributing.  That being said, some people get more impatient and belligerent when you don't give them an answer they want to hear.  To those people it is best to simply tell them that you aren't capable of helping them and part ways.

            Delusory Parasitosis is anything but simple, and there are no silver bullets.  Accepting that when engaging with a customer who is experiencing it will make you more adaptive and hopefully helpful.  Above all, remember that we are professionals whose job it is to help people, even when the problems are more psychological than pest related.

            In late June I had the pleasure to sit in on the Urban Pest Management Conference planning meeting and I can tell you that we had some good exchanges on content and even formatting of certain presentations.  I'm already looking forward to it.

            Go out there and make a great summer in pest control!

           

           Nebraska State Pest Control Association Spring 2015 Newsletter               

          I want to begin my first newsletter article by saying that it is a privilege and a great opportunity to have been elected to serve as the president of the Nebraska State Pest Control Association.  As  past president, Jeff Voelker was an outstanding leader of our association.  Jeff is a great guy with some unique expertise in wildlife control.  Where many of our backgrounds stem from the insect end of the business, we are often intimidated by calls about wildlife problems.  If you have questions about how to handle some of these, Jeff is a fantastic resource.  That is, unless you are inside of Jeff's service area, then just recommend Critter Control!

         Being able to network with members of our association and benefitting from their experience is one of the things that make membership and involvement in the NSPCA so valuable.  We are all interested in developing the knowledge and ability of ourselves, our companies, and our employees.  My own family's business has an extensive history with the association dating back 25 years to my late grandfather's membership.  I am fortunate to have a legacy committed to education and a dedication to our industry.
          As pest management professionals, we don't have to look far to see evidence of the fact that we provide a vital service to the public. We protect buildings from damage, filth, and structural decay.  We protect people from nuisance pests, food contamination, disease, psychological stress, and sometimes deadly allergic reactions.  Fortunately, we have customers and a public that see, on a daily basis, the value of our services as well.  Unfortunately, it can take one incident to reverse decades of the positive image building our industry has accomplished.
         On March 20th a family of four were found in their room at an upscale vacation resort in the Virgin Islands,  the father unresponsive, and the mother and two sons convulsing with seizures.  An ensuing investigation found that two days prior a product containing Methyl Bromide had been applied to a room below theirs by the resorts pest control contractor, Terminix. 
         I have been involved in this industry for the last thirteen plus years and had never heard of methyl bromide being used in a structural setting, so I had to do a bit of research.  Beyond the science and labeling of the product itself, I found some pretty shocking information.  In 1987, the U.S. and 26 other nations signed on to the Montreal Protocol, international treaty developed to protect the environment from ozone depleting products.  In 1993 the EPA froze the amount of methyl bromide being produced and applied, and in the years following the amounts were significantly reduced until it was phased out altogether in January of 2005.  What I could not find however, was any explanation for why a pest management firm would posess the product, much less use it in a way that grossly violated the label. 
         To condense this into a take home lesson for us as applicators,  knowledge of and compliance to regulations and labels are important, sometimes deadly important.  To prevent harmful exposure to people and the environment we need to make sure that all applicators have been trained to READ THE LABEL. Think through the application process at every job to minimize risks and potential exposures.  Don't keep long-expired product in your inventory.  Take advantage of the Department of Agriculture's pesticide disposal events.  Keep your inventory secured, organized,  and up to date so that you know exactly what you stock and what is leaving your shelves.  Keep an approved product/practice list for your technicians so that you, and they always know what is on their truck.    And of course, READ THE LABEL!
         That being said, these types of occurrances are rare, and the majority of those involved in our business take great care to ensure that even minor cases of exposure and misapplication don't happen.  The fact that we belong to an association of professionals such as ours demonstrates that we are dedicated to a high level of professionalism, safety, training, and the image of our industry.
         I look forward to the coming years of serving the Nebraska State Pest Control Association, alongside our Vice President Shawn Ryan, and the rest of our board of directors.  I encourage everyone reading this newsletter to get involved in the association if you are not already.  One of the many important benefits of your involvement is the input that we have on the content of the Urban Pest Management Conference, which can make a large impact on the relevance of the education being provided.  If you know someone who used to be involved and isn't anymore, reach out to them.  If you know someone new in the business, tell them about the association.  If you are already involved and you have ideas on how to make our association more valuable, tell any of us who serve on the board.  I hope everyone has an enjoyable and profitable Spring.

Stirring up the hornet's nest

            The idiom of "stirring up the hornet's nest" is a way of saying that your are dealing with a volatile situation that makes people angry or upset.  Obviously, that phrase stems from the fact that if you were to stir or disturb a literal hornets nest, the hornets would react aggressively.  It is safe  to say that you wouldn't volunteer to stir the literal hornet's, but it raises a valid question about a much more common action; would you plug the only entrance to a hornet's nest, which would prevent them from coming and going, feeding their young and their reproductives, regulating nest temperature and humidity, and guarding their home?
             Honey bees, yellow jackets, and bald faced hornets share something in common with us, they are social animals.  This means that they have a sense of community and they put a great deal of effort into raising their young.  So let's paint a scenario, one that will take more imagination for some than for others.  So you have a big extended family, and you like them.  Alright, so you don't have to be especially fond of them, but you like them enough to make sure that they and their children don't starve or get killed by predators.  I hope that last part doesn't take too much imagination but since I don't know your family I'll just move on.  So you and all of your family live in the same apartment building and work together for the good of your community.  One day a neighbor who is irritated with/afraid of you comes and sprays your doors with tear gas, boards all of your windows shut, barricades the doors, and turns off your air conditioner.  My guess is that you would all shrug your shoulders at your misfortune and peacefully starve to death.  No?  But surely hymenoptera(social insects with stingers) have a weaker will to live than we do, or maybe they confuse easily, right?

Does this hornet look like a quitter?



 

             While these sound like ridiculous assumptions, they are the exact assumptions that scores of new customers make every year before they call our office in an annoyed or panicked condition.  Let me clarify that I am not ridiculing anyone who has done this, I just want to educate everyone I can for future situations like this because making the wrong decisions with these pests can cause painful injuries and even death for some people.
            Typically, between July and September, you may see around the outside of your home large and active congregations of these pests.  During the heat of the day you will see a cloud of insects hovering around one or two spots with a small entrance passing through to a wall void, a space underneath your porch, a soffit void, or even a hole in the ground.  Many times people will underestimate the extent of an infestation like this to include only the dozen insects that they see outside of the nest at any given time. What they don't know is that the individuals that they see are members of the colony that are  charged with foraging for food and nesting material or scouting and defense.  Behind the entrance lives hundreds, even thousands of other colony members.  A common response is to spray the hole with a can of insecticide until you see a pile of dead bugs.  Satisfied with your success, you caulk the hole shut or stuff a rag in it (soaked in insecticide for good measure).  Over the next two to three days you continue to pat yourself on the back, after all, you've seen no activity and there are even a few more dead bugs.  Then one day, they are back in full force, using a hole a few inches from the one that you sealed.  Turns out they didn't stay in their apartment building to die.  Bees, wasps, and hornets build their large and beautiful (in my opinion) nests out of paper, all of which they have cut and compiled from leaves, twigs, and other available materials.  Their ability to cut this material also enables them to dig their way out of some pretty well boarded windows and barricaded doors.  It is not uncommon to find these insects heading toward the inside of the home to make their escape by chewing through a sheetrock wall covering.  Then the infestation that you didn't like outside of your front door is now in your basement family room.
           The point is, when you underestimate the abilities of pests that infest your home you often times make more work for yourself and sometimes expose your family to danger.  One way to prevent infestations like this is to eliminate entry points into your home.  Excess space around hose bibs, air conditioner condensation lines, spaces around windows, broken soffit, etc. all make for inviting shelter opportunities.  Should you find that these pests have already moved in, the safest and most successful treatment is done by an experienced professional, and I happen to know a few.  2014 was a fantastic year to be a pest professional, so thank you to all of our loyal customers, and I hope that we will have a chance to serve any and all that need our services in 2015.